The Basics of Respiratory Protection (Part 8)

Wearing an APR

Check the respirator for worn, cracked, corroded or brittle parts.

Do a positive and negative pressure check

Positive and Negative Pressure Check

The Basics of Respiratory Protection (Part 7)

Using the right cartridge

Respirators and cartridges must be approved for the type and severity of conditions in which they are used.

Cartridges protect only for the specific contaminants for which they are approved. Make sure it’s the right one for the job!

Applications and approvals will be listed on the cartridges, charts and owners’ manual.

Employers must now [...]

The Basics of Respiratory Protection (Part 6)

Proper Fit Testing

Quantitative vs. qualitative testing

At or below 10 times the permissible exposure limit (PEL) then you must do a QUALITATIVE fit test.

Above ten times the PEL then you must do a QUANTITATIVE fit test.

 
Respirators Should Be Selected According to:

The characteristics of the hazard

The capabilities and limitations of the respirator

The ability of each respirator wearer [...]

The Basics of Respiratory Protection (Part 5)

Understanding the Respiratory Factor

A respirator protection factor is a measure of the degree of protection a respirator design provides to the wearer…

The protection factor is the THEORETICAL ratio of an ambient airborne substance to the concentration of the substance inside the respirator that we would expect to see as a consequence of [...]

The Basics of Respiratory Protection (Part 4)

RESPIRATORY HAZARDS

When we think of respiratory protection, what part of our body are we trying to protect?

While most people will automatically answer “the lungs!” you are actually trying to protect not only the lungs but also the liver and through the liver all kinds of other internal organs. The hazard may, in fact, have no [...]

The Basics of Respiratory Protection (Part 3)

VOLUNTARY RESPIRATOR USE

In non-hazardous work site atmospheres, the employer may provide respirators at the request of employee’s or permit employee’s to use their own respirators, as long as such use in itself does not create a hazard.

If voluntary respiratory use is permissible, the employer shall implement those elements of a written program concerning:

The employee’s medical [...]

The Basics of Respiratory Protection (Part 2)

RESPIRATOR SELECTION

1910.134 (d) requires the employer to evaluate respiratory hazards in the workplace, identify relevant workplace and user factors, and base respirator selection on these factors.

 
Respirator selection requires the employer to identify workplace hazards by:

Estimating the employee’s exposure to respiratory hazards

Determining if the workplace environment is Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH)

Identifying contaminants, and [...]

The Basics of Respiratory Training (Part 1)

The days of bringing canaries down in the mine to determine if and when the air was toxic are, fortunately for us and also for the canaries, long gone. Today, gas monitors and new technology alerts us to the dangers in the air around us so that we can take appropriate measures to protect our [...]

The Poison Plastic

You know that new shower curtain smell? While you may enjoy the fact that your torn and mildewed shower curtain is finally being replaced, you need to be aware of the fact that the odor you are smelling is actually the off-gassing of the PVC. That “new car” smell is probably the same thing.

PVC (Polyvinyl [...]

Flood Cleanup Safety Products Guide

Floods are devastating. Even if your loved ones get through it unharmed the emotional toll of seeing your personal possessions ruined can be extremely traumatic. And once the waters have receded, and even before, there is the cleanup work that needs to be done.

Flood cleanup work can entail a whole lot of potential injuries and [...]